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CAD for Woodworkers: makes it easy to draw woodworking plans
4.6 (131 ratings)
Course Ratings are calculated from individual students’ ratings and a variety of other signals, like age of rating and reliability, to ensure that they reflect course quality fairly and accurately.
1,125 students enrolled

CAD for Woodworkers: makes it easy to draw woodworking plans

Learn how to draw your own fully dimensioned woodworking plans using CAD software
Highest Rated
4.6 (131 ratings)
Course Ratings are calculated from individual students’ ratings and a variety of other signals, like age of rating and reliability, to ensure that they reflect course quality fairly and accurately.
1,125 students enrolled
Created by Simon Rodway
Last updated 5/2020
English
English [Auto-generated]
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CAD for Woodworkers: makes it easy to draw woodworking plans
Current price: $12.99 Original price: $19.99 Discount: 35% off
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This course includes
  • 2.5 hours on-demand video
  • 10 articles
  • 10 downloadable resources
  • Full lifetime access
  • Access on mobile and TV
  • Certificate of Completion
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What you'll learn
  • Learn to draw fully dimensioned plans, quickly and easily
  • Although the course is based on DraftSight, because of the similarities to AutoCAD and other professional CAD applications, you will learn to draw woodworking plans using any top level CAD program
Requirements
  • No prior knowledge of CAD
  • You will need a computer capable of running either DraftSight, or the FREE alternative nanoCAD, which should be downloaded and installed prior to taking the course. Additionally, a wheelmouse or equivalent is really useful to allow zooming and panning without accessing screen commands.
Description

Once you have learned the basics in CAD drawing, you will have a skill that will last you a lifetime.

Here's what a recent student on the course, Cady Dodds, a carpenter designer/maker who runs Perfect Space Carpentry, had to say in an email to me:

"The course has been great for me, first step towards electronic drawing.

I sat down this afternoon and drew up 2 elevations for a client, some wardrobes and storage. Although basic I think quite acceptable and took me about 2 hours or so, and after a bit of fettling I got them to print. So I am very pleased."

This was Cady's first ever CAD drawing. The 2 hours it took him, will soon become an hour. The time savings CAD offers you have to be experienced to be believed. What's more, you can send your finished drawing to anyone, anywhere in the world, as a PDF file which they can open to view and print. Its an unbeatable technology, using FREE software!

Here are some of the things the course teaches you to do:

  • how to set up the CAD screen to draw more quickly and easily
  • how to use a few basic tools to maximum effect, and build even complex drawings using simple techniques
  • how to re-use existing drawings to create new ones, in a fraction of the time
  • how to dimension your finished drawings in minutes using powerful CAD tools
  • how to output your drawings as finished scale plans, either printed or as PDF files


Using a project based, step by step method I show you how to draw a complete set of elevations of an Apothecary's Chest.

A PDF version of the plans of the chest are provided to download for reference, and sequential versions of the relevant CAD files for you to work on as you progress through the course are also included. These files are prepared with a range of dimension scales to make it much easier to output your finished drawing, and can be re-used as templates in the future.

The course has 3 main sections

  • Customising the workspace, where you learn how to streamline the CAD screen and tools to get the most out of them
  • The project, where you learn through step by step video lectures, how to draw a complete set of woodworking plans
  • Dimensioning, scales and output, where you learn how to add dimensions to the finished plans and output the drawing to print or as a PDF file
Who this course is for:
  • The course is designed primarily to teach CAD to anyone involved in woodworking and similar craft and design disciplines.
Course content
Expand all 32 lectures 03:09:06
+ – Introduction
2 lectures 04:16

Introducing the core principles of the course; that you should only learn the parts of a software program that you need to know and use; that you can streamline these into simple pathways which help you to use the software more effectively, productively and quickly.

Introduction
02:40

A brief description of DraftSight,the CAD software used on the course, and why it has been chosen.

DraftSight: Great value CAD software
01:36
+ – Clearing the decks
4 lectures 23:13

Start the customisation of the DraftSight screen, clearing toolbars and palettes to give yourself a bigger drawing area and simplify the user interface. This customisation is optional, but is recommended as it will help in drawing more effectively and quickly.

Clearing toolbars
Preview 04:22

Hiding the CCS icon, changing the background screen colour, and setting up the POLAR and ESNAP tool

Customising the workspace
07:09

Customising toolbars by adding and removing tools

Customising toolbars
06:25
Clearing the decks - reference
05:17
+ – CAD essentials and concepts
3 lectures 05:53

An explanation of how units, scales and size works in CAD programs. Most people are familiar with scale drawings, but in CAD it is usual to draw things full size, and then output at any scale you choose once the drawing is finished.

Units, sizes and scales
02:17

An introduction to how we find our way around the CAD screen and environment

Co-ordinates, or where are we?
02:01

A short reference guide to drawing rectangles using the coordinates system.

Drawing rectangles
Preview 01:34

A quick way to remind yourself of some of the basic CAD concepts.

Basic CAD concepts
7 questions
+ – Drawing the front elevation
7 lectures 47:13

Start constructing the front elevation of the Apothecary's Chest, using the RECTANGLE drawing tool, and the MOVE and MIRROR editing tools.

Drawing the top and sides
06:24

Using the RECTANGLE tool, and editing tools MOVE, MIRROR and COPY, this lecture shows you how to rapidly build a drawing with the minimum of input.

Adding some drawers
10:16

Round over the end of the top with the FILLET tool, and then MIRROR the top 2 rows to create the bottom 2 rows of drawers. Using the LINE tool to create a guideline, and then the STRETCH tool to edit the bottom drawer heights to finish the drawers.

Finishing the drawers
Preview 05:38

Construct and add bun feet to the elevation using the CIRCLE and OFFSET tools, and the TRIM tool.

Adding the feet
08:03

Using construction lines as diagonals, and the CIRCLE and COPY tools, you will add handles and complete the front elevation

Adding handles
04:38
Drawing the front elevation - Reference - Part 1
05:35
Drawing the front elevation - Reference - Part 2
06:39

Some questions to remind you of drawing concepts in the lectures.

Drawing the front elevation
7 questions
+ – Constructing the side elevation
3 lectures 16:59

Creating a side elevation using a copy of the front elevation. Changing the width of the copy using the STRETCH editing command. Introduces the OFFSET command to create the side frame, and EXPLODE command to create lines from a rectangle.

Please download the CAD file WW CHEST 2 available with this tutorial.

Drawing the side elevation
06:24

Looks at drawing a side elevation detail of the handle, using construction lines and rectangles, and then drawing the outline using the ARC tool.

Please download the CAD file WW CHEST 3 available with this tutorial.

Drawing handle details
06:38

Using the LINE tool to create construction lines, and matching the centres of the handle on the front elevation to intersections on the side elevation. Using COPY to put the side elevations of the handle detail in place.

Positioning handles
03:57
+ – Layers and dimensioning
2 lectures 14:48

An introduction to layers and the LAYER MANAGER, looking at the various layer options including locking, line colour and line weight or thickness.

Introduction to layers
05:37

An introduction to dimensioning drawings in CAD, including various tools on the dimension toolbar, and a look at dimension styles.

Please download the CAD file WW CHEST 4 available with this tutorial.

Dimensioning drawings
09:11
+ – Drawing the front section
4 lectures 22:52

Create a copy of the front elevation to use as a template, and then add the sections of the drawer frames and guides on the section layer, using the RECTANGLE and COPY tools

Please download the drawing file available with this lecture.

Adding the drawer frames
05:29

Introducing two new tools, the POLYLINE tool ,and the ROTATE editing tool, this lecture focuses on drawing the side and top frames and panels.

Top and side frame and panel
06:54
Adding drawer section
06:13

Adding the outer guides or spacers, and then using MIRROR to copy the drawn part of the section across to the other side. Finally, the bottom frame and panel and the fixing dowel for the feet is added.

Finishing the front section
04:16
+ – Drawing the side section
2 lectures 09:05

This lecture shows you how to reuse the sections already drawn through the top and bottom to begin to create the side section. Edit and create POLYLINES.

Adding the top, bottom and back panel
04:49

Add the drawer frames and drawers sections, using the COPY and STRETCH tools.

Adding the drawer frames and drawers
04:16
+ – Scales and plotting to PDF
2 lectures 28:59

Introducing sheets as different to model space. Taking a look at the relationship between pre-setup scales in the dimension style option, and matching sheets.

Scales and sheets
14:55

Looks at how to output your drawings as PDF files which can either be emailed or printed using Adobe Reader. Includes another look at sheets and viewports, and setting up scale drawings.

Plotting to PDF
14:04
+ – The next step
3 lectures 15:46
The next step
00:59

Using an example from a set of elevations of a garden bench, the video shows how to set up and draw a template. Construction of a grid using the PATTERN tool is included, and then an outline using the freehand curves drawn with the ARC tool.

Drawing templates
13:43

The website I run, LineMine, is dedicated to providing drawings and drawing expertise for makers of all disciplines. This lecture contains promotional coupon codes for the paid membership options and updates on drawing downloads, upcoming courses and more.

Bonus lecture: additional drawing resources at my LineMine website
01:04